366 days this year
“Thirty days hath September, April, June and November; all the rest have thirty-one save February, she alone hath eight days and a score, ’til leap year gives her one day more.”
A childhood chant to remember monthly dates. Monday is a freebee for this year.
The sun orbits the earth every 365 and 1/4 days, or precisely every 365.242,190 days and Leap Seconds.
Leap Seconds correct minor variations, keeping our calendar in sync; so last Dec. 31, the folks who maintain the official time for the planet, added an extra second to the day.
The current standard calendar in most of the world is the Gregorian calendar. It was designed to keep the vernal equinox on or close to March 21, enabling Easter’s date (celebrated on the Sunday after the 14th day of the moon that falls on or after March 21) to remain in correct alliance with the vernal equinox. The fractions of a day are made up every four years, leaping us into the correct phase of the moon. This calendar is a modification of the Julian calendar in 46 BC, that added another day to February. It was first thought to involve just dividing the year by 4, except for years divided by 100, but they came to realize they needed to add two more 0s, now making it divisible by 400. Therefore, 2100 will not be a leap year.
A satirical play in Old England joked about it being a day when women could propose to the men, and it eventually it took hold, giving the UK Sadie Hawkins Day. It is claimed, women being able to propose was proposed (see what I did there?) by St. Patrick. If anyone remembers Al Capp, Li’l Abner and Dogpatch, America adopted this day, only it is was in November.
For those born on the 29th, it is hard to set a legal date for your birthday. When are you old enough to get a driver’s license, or vote or drink? This is decided by each state, that mostly consider March 1 as the official day. There are about 187,000 people in the U.S. and 4 million people in the world born on Leap Day.
At one time, there was a Nov. 30 in Sweden and Finland. It lasted for one year, 1712. If you are a JRR Tolkien “Hobbit” fan, you know that the civilization in the center of the earth of his “The Lord of Rings,” had 12 months of 30 days.
Gardeners now have an extra day to enjoy their fruits and finish up their chores. Just bless your soil. The Farmer’s Almanac tells me why we need weeds. Right?.. What is a weed? My mother told me, a weed is any plant out of place and pulled the violets I loved growing wild in her flower beds. The Farmer’s Almanac says, “They are a plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered.” I know that in foraging, they can be very edible. I just say, I am growing a butterfly garden (and butterflies do love them).
They tell you a lot about your soil – whether it’s fertile, high in nutrients, hardpan or compacted or wet and poorly drained (if I see dollar-weed, which is very edible, I know the soil is much too wet), or acidic or alkaline. As for nutrients, it can tell you the nutrients in your soil by what survives. When they die, their decaying gives up nutrients. Used in rotating crops, letting the area go fallow for one year, weeds decaying can contribute additional organic matter. Remember, weeds are “nature’s meadow,” a blanket of living mulch, helping to conserve water and avoid erosion. This increased biodiversity attracts insects and birds, acting as nature’s all-natural pest control. This wildlife step provides a habitat for natural predators.
In general, weed 2-3 weeks before planting flower seeds and plants will benefit from the mined nutrients left behind. Having a food source encourages beneficial insects and makes plants healthier and increases their effectiveness. Beneficials lay more eggs, increasing the cycle of stopping bad bugs. Beauty is, indeed, in the eye of the beholder and weeds are only beautiful to some people.
This reminds me of the article I did about Paul Harris and his successful no-till Singing Frogs Farm in arid California. He used his experiences in Ghana and Costa Rica where he found gardens grew best when planted near a row of woodsy growth, having 90 percent fewer pests than those gardens in the open. His correct conclusion was that beneficial bugs and insects living in the near-by forest area were controlling all the pests.
We are sadly lacking forests around us, so I’m not promoting “keep” your weeds, but, do allow a natural habitat somewhere, the bees and butterflies will thank you. I saw a Facebook post of bees saying, “When we go, we are taking you with us.” Our food plants need to be pollinated, besides, I love honey.
Remember, growing plants takes time. They need to sleep, creep and leap. It takes a good three years for plants to really take off. Trust in the long-term growth habit. Every time I look at my bougainvillea, I remember that I almost dug it up that first year to return it to Home Depot for its replacement guarantee of any non-growing plant. Laziness interceded and that bougainvillea produced an acceptable growth the next year, then it shot up into the mango tree it was planted near. I’ve been clipping it now for several years.
Our prime growing season is winding down, the winter has avoided us and we can relax. Pruning can be done, just not deciduous spring-flowering shrubs until after they bloom. They produce flowers on last year’s growth so you’d be cutting off potential blooms.
You have an extra day to enjoy your garden – relish the gift and do something you enjoy.
Always remember to thank a tree; they make living on earth a pleasant experience.
-Joyce Comingore is a Master Gardener, hibiscus enthusiast and member of the Garden Club of Cape Coral.